The Reasons for the Changes to the Original Helmshore Mill

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The Reasons for the Changes to the Original Helmshore Mill

The first change to the original site was the building of Higher Mill

in 1789. This was a woollen fulling and finishing mill built by the

Turner family. They built the mill here because there wasn't another

fulling mill in the area, the nearest was Rochdale, so there was a

healthy market for their services. They chose this particular site

however because it had all which powered the fulling stocks, there was

already a turnpike road next to the site providing the resources which

they needed; the River Ogden provided water to run the waterwheel good

transport links for the mill, it was a country area so there was

already spinning and weaving in the area supplying the mill with goods

to be fulled. These local people could also be used as workers in the

mill.

Soon afterwards the mill was extended to meet the high demand for the

fulling and finishing services. In 1820 the Turners built another

larger mill on the same site to carry out the carding, spinning and

weaving of wool. It was built here so that the processes of making and

finishing woollen cloth could all be carried out on one site; this

saved money on transportation and supplied the fulling mill with work.

Over the next thirty years the fulling mill was re-equipped at least

once to update its machinery. In 1847 (as shown by source A) a rail

viaduct was built past one side of the mill and twenty yards of the

mill was knocked down. Turner received compensation for the loss and

spent some of the money updating the mill. He also benefited in that

he no had improved transport links for his goods, but he had to stop

usi...

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...urses to prevent accidents. Inside the buildings a new library

and offices have been set up to allow administration space and wider

resources.

The mill is now a 'museum with an outstanding collection'; this allows

it to bid for government money. This money has in the past been used

building an interactive display where the old display gallery was;

this includes some of the machinery that was moved down from the

higher floors. The trust is awaiting further grant money in order to

convert the first floor of higher mill into another exhibition area.

The finishing room is now used as a demonstrative room to show the

finishing processes.

Throughout the mills lives they have both always been connected with

the textiles industries, woollen or cotton. And now as museums they

still show how these industries once worked.

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